Counting Corvids Chapter Sixteen

In the early hours of the morning before the sun had risen a group of Colters had been snooping around the Gourlay compound once again before they eventually broke in and began rummaging around the debris hunting for survivors.

*
“Where are we going?”
“Trust me its not much further” Hunter lead Willow further and further up the slope until it leveled out. He stopped and threw a picnic blanket down, “ta da” Willow stared at him confused until she followed his gaze to where he was pointing. There stretched before them was a stunning view of the sunset, the road that ran near by now seemed much quieter. She sat beside him watching the sun slowly set she lay in his arms. “This is so close to perfect” she sighed as the sun finally set in no hurry to move.

Behind the shadow of the clouds the moon came into view, bright and full. In the trees further down she heard howls, one after another joined in chorus. Willow turned to hunter “what’s that?” Not too concerned by a pack of dogs.
“That would be werewolves” She sat up like a bolt, not expecting his answer.

“Werewolves? Hate to sound stupid but should we still be sat here?”
“Possibly?”
“Possibly? So what do we do?”
“Nothing they won’t bother us”
“How do you know?”
“Because I do” Willow eyes him suspiciously. But for once Willow didn’t feel her usual fearless self, she was nervous, very nervous and itching to leave.

Willow watched the road, there hadn’t been any traffic in over an hour, and everything had become far too quiet. Hunter was far too relaxed. On the darkness of the road Willow could just about make out the headlights of the towns ‘Haunted Tours’ tour bus. Her unease grew as she saw the trees rustling and moving as something began making its way towards the road. Another howl told her what it was. She sat bolt upright like lightening had struck.
“Willow relax”
“I can’t” she stood and watched as the bus came to a sudden stop. “I don’t like this, I don’t like this at all”
“What now? Willow relax, you are safe”

“But they aren’t” she could hear the screams of the people on board. Without intention Willow shimmered from the spot. “I knew it” muttered Hunter before he packed up and started making his way down to the road.

*

Willow had shimmered right in front of the tour bus. Shocked to see around twenty pairs of blood thirsty amber eyes turn to face her. Suddenly their attention was on her, she did the only thing she could think of. Run, get them away from the bus, get them to chase her, soon they had followed her back through the trees some of the time running, some shimmering, some how she had lead them back to the caves where she had first met Hunter. The occasional bat overhead flew into a panic as the werewolves chased her as she sped down the tunnels some how back where she had started, only this time surrounded by wolves.

Just as they went to pounce she shimmered out and found herself in the very room where Hunter had met her. This time he stood there watching her arrive. “Is there something you wanted to tell me?”
“Yes, run” she turned and he grabbed her arm, “no, you shimmered, you are a demon”
“Part, not entirely, now run” Hunter did as he was told until they ended up yet again full circle to find vampires and werewolves locked in vicious battle. “Oh for heavens sake you have to be kidding me, Hunter take my hand”
“Why?”
“Do you trust me?” he looked in her eyes, “yes.”
“Take my hand” he took her hand and with a lurch she had shimmered them outside the mouth of the caves. Panting from the effort she slid against the grassy slope.